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Electric Picnic has two seated areas, in front of the main stage, for vintage picnickers, like myself and my friend. This is where we were headed to watch Dermot Kennedy in all his glory.

Megan Thee Stallion, and what a stallion, was the act before Dermot. If twerking were an Olympic sport, she would take the gold, no problem. She brought up a load of little hotties from the crowd to twerk with her. Much to my delight, every second word was ‘ Mutha f*cka’; therefore, I used this phrase for the entire evening, much to the annoyance of my friend. Perhaps going to the coffee truck and asking for ‘A ‘mutha f*ucka Caffe latte’ was a step too far, but as they say, I like to live and learn.

On Saturday, Becky Hill ( awesome) and Ann Marie treated us to amazing sets. Following these, we trotted off to Trailer Park and then onto Hazelwood, finally finishing in Fishtown, R.C.A.G was a wonderful surprise. One man with a set of drums and maybe foot pedals that acted as a base? He gave a performance that could rival The Chemical Brothers.

The side acts of burlesque dancers of various shapes and sizes were a joy to behold. Maybe stapling paper hearts to one’s boobs, fanny and ass was a step too far? Not at all, as the next lady proceeded to skewer her neck with metal star lights and then light them. Frank and Walters were, as always, their spectacular best. The fact that Radiohead was their support band in the very early 90s is still my favourite rock trivia fact.

All the best

Stay fab

Adele

I was so excited. After four years, I was going back to Electric Picnic with my best mate, and it was her fourth and my fifth visit. As a festival junkie over the last two decades, I was about to enter my idea of Nirvana. However, this was not to be the case.

As usual, we had booked our glamping (old fogeydom is beckoning) and were looking forward to not having to pitch a tent.  We knew the trek to the site would be about an hour or so, but in the end, it took us two and a half hours. I had tried everything the night before to download a map, but it was impossible. As one of the Picnic stewards informed us, the Electric Picnic app needed to be downloaded a week before as it was not working properly on Friday. I was not Appy. As a result, we went to the wrong campsite, which was at the other end of the field, 3kms away.

This steward was one of eight that we asked for directions to our campsite. None of them knew where anything was, and it was as if they were mimicking Dougal from Father Ted. Walking through the Jimi Hendrix campsite was like a scene from Mad Max crossed with Armageddon and the night of the living dead. When we got to our campsite, the registration tent was closed, and we had no clue where our tent was. The field had about fifty tents, and we slowly checked each one to see where we could rest our weary bones. When we had started the trek to our tent, I had joked to my friend that it would be like climbing Croagh Patrick. Little did I know that the quip would come back to bite us in the arse.

The campsite organisers had texted my friend with vague directions but failed to mention that there would be nobody to check us in at the end. Miraculously, my friend found our tent after some time. We threw ourselves down onto the inflated mattresses and rested a while before entering the main arena to see our favourite acts.

All the best

Stay fab

Adele

Warning- Giggle-free blog.

Today was a cracking day, but not in a Wallace and Gromit kind of way. This morning I was driving into town slowly along the quays with the remnants of traffic congestion. It was not too bad as I was driving against the traffic and I enjoy people watching, particularly tourists. I like to imagine what they must be thinking as they experience Ireland and Dublin for the first time. Are they thrilled or disappointed?

As I drove past Merchant Arch and the Halfpenny bridge, my favourite place in Dublin,  I noticed three people, who looked to be in their forties, huddled together doing what looked like crack, in public for all to see. Later whilst walking down Temple Lane, a woman bumped into me who was out of her head on drugs.

Walking through Temple Bar, I was mindful of my bag even though it was hidden inside my coat. I had my Christmas savings nicked twenty years ago on Grafton Street by two women using the same technique. One knocks into you, and then the other dips into your bag or pocket just as you consider the distraction.

This lady had no accomplice, but then I noticed another crackhead who resembled the living dead. Her eyes hollowed out, and her cheekbones sunk beneath her grey skin.

When I got to the restaurant where I was meeting my friend, I noticed two more people across the way from the door exchanging little plastic bags with furtive glances toward passers-by. I have always been blissfully ignorant of the drug problem in Dublin, but today it hit me. My next trip to Dublin will be to investigate doing some voluntary work for the homeless.

 

Adele

 

Hypnotists use auto-suggestion. Their subliminal suggestions or words, which may appear to be used randomly, are carefully selected to activate the subconscious. That is how they can take power over the mind as they have unlocked the key to our subconscious. We use our imagination all the time to accomplish anything; we see it in our mind’s eye first. From making tea to going to work, to the shops, visiting friends and going on holidays. We see it first as we plan our actions and then complete them. Auto-suggestion is merely using the same technique to accomplish or get something that may seem impossible at the time.

Therefore, I have decided to use auto-suggestion to get an agent and a whopping publishing deal. My world book tour will be a massive success, and film rights will also be signed for Tara Tree, the prequel and the sequel. I am also at the weight and fitness level that I desire to be, and Jason Mamoa has just slid into my DM’s. I am playing hard to get by ignoring him for a few weeks, and when I eventually reply, it transpires that he is here in Dublin doing advertising for Guinness- as it is his favourite drink. I see the pair of us riding a horse and cart down Grafton Street. Oooh, I just love my delusions and my imagination.

 

All the best

Stay fab

Adele

The Art of Autosuggestion

https://youtu.be/3pb11GYJ7wY

Contrary to my initial belief, auto-suggestion is not a convincing car salesman.

I came across this the other week, and it fascinated me. I had never heard of auto-suggestion, and to hear that Emile Coue, a French psychologist wrote in 1922 that the subconscious is more powerful than the conscious was enough for me to want to learn more. He claims that I can program my subconscious mind to achieve anything. And like a lot of things, it is easier said than done. If this were the case, we would live in a world of monks, nuns and Shamans.

Contrary to my belief, and regardless of whatever spiritual practice I pursue, I am aware that I will not be waking up as the Dalai Lama any day soon. Maybe a Llama, but certainly not the Dalai Lama.

I love this phrase and now think of it frequently as it activates my inner child.

‘Our unconscious mind plays with our subconscious mind throughout our lives like a baby plays a rattle,’

Emile says that if my imagination/subconscious and my consciousness are in conflict, my imagination will always win. Marcel du Champ states that ‘ Art does not exist without an audience. When I witness Art I love, my imagination is activated, allowing me to have a truly immersive experience.

Nowadays, many of us are familiar with the ‘Law of attraction’ and the power of manifestation. Believing we are where we want to be can, in many circumstances, if practiced consistently, bring about our perceived reality.

If I can dream or imagine it, I can see it, I can write it, and I can manifest it.

In writing and being creative, I am firing my imagination, my favourite place, and thus activating auto-suggestion. I have experienced ‘automatic writing’ in the past; where I was writing a letter from a person, I knew to myself to try and understand their perspective. It was quite powerful as I began to write things that had never occurred to me and which the person had obviously been feeling.

 

All the best

Stay Fab

Adele

I watched Bend it like Beckham recently, and it was easy to see how talented Keira was back then. Cate Blanchett is possibly one of the few actresses that could hold a candle to Meryl Streep regarding her acting prowess. She has appeared in some of the greatest movies over the last thirty years.

Hilary Swank is another phenomenal actress who chooses her roles very carefully, and Kate Hudson has appeared in many romantic comedies and never ceases to light up the screen. Lupita Nyong’O is a Kenyan Mexican actress famous for her role in 12 years a Slave. A harrowing movie to watch but unmatched in its portrayal of slavery. Lupita has been a consistent style icon throughout the years. Kelly is just Kelly; she rocks.

 

8. Keira Knightley

I am obsessed with the necklace; it is so beautiful.

 

9. Cate Blanchett

10. Kelly Osborne

Pure perfection in black.

11. Kate Hudson

Quintessential elegance.

12. Hilary Swank

How to wear a backless dress. And then some.

13. Lupita Nyong’o

This colour on Lupita is outstanding.

14. Cher

Just because. She is Cher, And can wear anything and always manage to pull it off. The fact that she does not take herself too seriously is always so refreshing. She was the original trailblazer in fashion. Twenty years before anybody dared to bare this much skin.

 

All the best
Stay Fab
Adele

I came across an old article that featured famous Oscar dresses throughout the years, and I feel compelled to share my favourite selection. All of these actresses are phenomenal, except for Kelly Osborne, who does not act but is an outstanding presenter. The fact that all of these women are also my favourite actresses may also have something to do with why I selected them.

My all-time favourite is Michelle Williams. Yellow is my least favourite colour as I never wear it, but I adore the entire look and how she pulls it off. She somehow manages to look like the living embodiment of a buttercup. She was one of the few actresses that began on TV before moving onto the big screen. Whereas nowadays this is quite common. I loved her in Dawson’s Creek and her first big break in the movie Brokeback Mountain.

 

1. Michelle Williams- first favourite.

2. Cameron Diaz- second favourite.

3. Elizabeth Taylor- third favourite.

This would not look out of place on the red carpet today.

4. Octavia Spencer

5. Julia Roberts

6. Halle Berry

7. Lauren Hutton.

This is another timeless dress. The original Boho Chic.

Besides Liz Taylor, can you recall the movies that they won the best actress for?

All the best

Stay Fab

Adele

Following on from yesterday’s wordplay in my debut Romcom novel ‘Tara Tree’, a few more have come to mind. If Tara is arguing with Molly, they could be having Breakfast at Tiffany’s- whilst they get over their Tiff? Or, if she is getting her haircut, perhaps Breakfast at Quiffaness? I do realise that I am scraping the barrel here but Anyhoo……

Here is the TikTok reminder of the magnificent Audrey Hepburn

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMNXnbUEJ/?k=1

I also mentioned yesterday that it was not Audrey’s style and acting ability that inspired me but her work as one of the original UNICEF Ambassadors. She devoted the latter part of her life to it and raised a phenomenal amount for charity. In one week, she raised awareness and 10 million dollars. She always said that it was her greatest achievement. And like everything, she did it with such grace and humility.

The following are the remaining quotes from Audrey that resonate with me.

-People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed. Never throw out anyone.

-Anyone who does not believe in miracles is not a realist.

-Not to live for the day, that would be materialistic—but to treasure the day. I realise that most of us live on the skin—on the surface—without appreciating just how wonderful it is simply to be alive at all.

-Your heart just breaks, that’s all. But you can’t judge or point fingers. You just have to be lucky enough to find someone who appreciates you.

-Why change? Everyone has his own style. When you have found it, you should stick to it.

-Living is like tearing through a museum. Not until later do you really start absorbing what you saw, thinking about it, looking it up in a book, and remembering because you can’t take it in all at once.

-I tried always to do better, saw always a little further. I tried to stretch myself.

-You can tell more about a person by what he says about others than you can by what others say about him.

– If my world were to cave in tomorrow, I would look back on all the pleasures, excitements, and worthwhileness’s I have been lucky enough to have had. Not the sadness, not my miscarriages or my father leaving home, but the joy of everything else. It will have been enough.

-The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman is seen in her eyes because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. True beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It’s the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows & the beauty of a woman only grows with passing years.

 

I am off to watch  ‘Roman Holiday’.

All the best

Stay Fab

Adele

Audrey Hepburn has to be one of my favorite actresses of all time. But not for obvious reasons such as her acting, style and elegance. My next blog will elucidate further.

In my debut Romcom novel ‘Tara Tree’, one of Tara’s housemates pulls a spliff from his pink shorts whilst they are all watching Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

–Breakfast at Spliffanees? He asks everyone before firing up the big boy and laughing at his wit. He then goes on to say

And it would be Breakfast at Riffaney’s if I played my guitar. At this point, everyone tells him to shut up whilst a few sofa pillows fly in his direction.

Here is a TikTok of the magnificent Audrey Hepburn

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMNXnbUEJ/?k=1

I recently watched a documentary about her life; many of her peers marveled at her ability to transmute trauma into love. She was a young girl living in the Netherlands during the second world war and scrounging for food. She always said that these memories made her grateful every day for what she had.

The following are my favorite Audrey Hepburn quotes.

 

Why can’t politics be humanized?

 

 For me, the only things of interest are those linked to the heart.

 

Elegance is the only beauty that never fades.

 

Nothing is impossible. The word itself says I’m possible.

 

For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.

 

The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.

 

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, it’s at the end of your arm. As you get older, remember you have another hand: The first is to help yourself, and the second is to help others.

 

 Giving is living. If you stop wanting to give, there’s nothing more to live for.

 

I believe, every day, you should have at least one exquisite moment.

 

I am off to watch Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

 

All the best

Stay Fab

Adele

As Christy Brown, played by the inimitable Daniel Day-Lewis in the movie My Left Foot, said, ‘This was written during my blue period’. Many of my poems were. I find writing them to be a powerful cathartic experience. Here is one of my favourites.

 

 

Soul Blink

My soul blinks.

I forget to see.

I do not breathe.

I do not heed.

I am buried in a moment.

I am seeking my unconscious.

But I do not see.

I can glimpse it.

I am almost there.

It’s reality,

Makes me blindly scared.

I will persist in my ignorance.

My blindness.

My all.

To truly,

Face it,

Is to recognize

The squall.

Ignorance is bliss.

I daily kiss,

My misgivings,

And my shame.

I play the unforgiving

Mind game.

It’s beyond banal.

I profess intelligence.

But in burying my soul,

I am not whole,

Just a shell.

I need to begin to feel well.

As the emptiness pervades,

I am the only one that can save

My sorry soul.

And attempt to feel whole.

For this sadness is not me.

It is not who I want to be.

I am bored with my sad ego.

But I don’t know where to go.

I am better than self-pity.

I am funny, kind and witty.

I will overcome this sadness.

This intermittent madness.

I will face this challenge.

My Everest, my future gladness.

I will somehow realize,

The surprise is me.

The beauty I have within.

The goodness I project.

That tries to have no effect.

On my self-worth.

I am beginning my soul re- birth,

Of my heart and my soul.

Of recognizing

All that I am,

All that I am not,

All that I remember,

All that I forgot,

To exalt my senses,

My mind,

All that is true.

For today.

Thank you

God.

I shall begin again

Anew.

By Adele Leahy